He was referring to those players he manages at Huddersfield in the Championship.

There is nothing glamorous about the Yorkshire club. The stadium is named after a well known bitter, their nickname comes from a popular breed of dog and the journalist who has reported on them for the last two decades has just been made redundant.

The Terriers won three successive league titles in the 1920s but that was as good as it ever got.

Since being in the top flight for the last time in 1972, Huddersfield have meandered through the lower leagues and their current squad fails to posses a single household name the neutral fan could point to.

But Wagner did something before the start of this season that changed the attitude of his squad and made his players appreciate how lucky they are to be professional sportsmen.

He took them to a remote island off the coast of Sweden and humiliated them. He deprived them of food, clean water, electricity and mobile phones. He made them sleep in little tents and do what bears do in the woods.

The players hated it. But they also benefited from it. Wagner’s gamble worked because the Terriers are now third in the table and still in with a great shout of automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Wagner is a clone of his close friend Jurgen Klopp. He dresses like him, thinks like him and talks like him.

But Klopp could be the one to learn from his protege when it comes to changing the attitude and outlook of pampered stars who get lost in the their millionaire bubbles and sometimes forget what’s important in life.

Liverpool boss Klopp isn’t alone either. This season we’ve seen Diego Costa throw a strop over a new contract after he was offered staggering amounts of cash to join the Chinese Super League.

In the past we’ve seen Carlos Tevez go on strike following a row with Roberto Mancini, when the Argentine refused to go on as a substitute in a game between Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Arsenal’s Mezut Ozil is currently moping around like a teenager whose kicked his ball over the garden fence and can’t get it back.

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Mesut Ozil has come under criticism for poor displays against Bayern and Chelsea

Novak Djokovic smashed a ball into the crowd during a game at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Sergio Garcia has regular meltdowns on the golf course, when his default expression suggests the whole world is against him.

John McEnroe didn’t become known as ‘super brat’ for nothing. French striker Nicolas Anelka was also tagged ‘Le Sulk’.

It all comes back to perspective - and those who struggle to keep some should read the remarkable story of Ian Toothill. It should make them feel ashamed.

Toothill is a Sheffield Wednesday fan. He is also dying of bowel cancer and could have passed away before the next season kicks off.

The personal trainer, 47, has just several months to live but sulking isn’t an option for Toothill.

Quite the opposite in fact. Despite being terminally ill, Toothill has decided to climb Mount Everest.

He wants to become the first man with cancer to conquer the highest and most dangerous mountain on the planet. He has even agreed to plant a red and white flag with the crest of his bitter-rivals Sheffield United at the top after a Blades fan donated £1,000 to his fundraising campaign.

“Cowley wouldn’t allow his heroes to have a beer to celebrate. Come on mate”

Toothill hopes to raise £250,000 if it’s the last thing he does - and the chances are it will be.

That’s about the same amount as Costa hopes to earn in a week at Stamford Bridge.

So next time the ball doesn’t hit the back of the net, bottom of the cup or the baseline, when the Ferrari needs to be taken for a service after training, those in question should take a moment to remember Toothill and appreciate how real heroes should behave.

Wes Morgan's Leicester are in dreadful form and face a relegation struggle

BOOKMAKERS are already offering odds on the child of Olympic cycling heroes Laura Trott and Jason Kenny going on to win a gold medal of his or her own.

Trott famously tweeted during Rio 2014 that any child the couple had would be ‘blessed in the gene department’.

There is a strong chance the new arrival won’t take long to pass their cycling proficiency test or have no need for stabilisers, it has to be said.

But a word of caution. There are no guarantees where children are concerned.

George Best had a son. He’s called Calum, but the only passes he’s made down the years have been at women.

Walter Payton, one of the greatest NFL running backs of all time, also had a son called Jarrett, but he endured just one season in the league with Tennessee Titans before seeing his professional career fade into oblivion.

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In a woeful season so far Leicester’s one shining light has been their progress in the Champions League.

Unfortunately even that light looks likely to be snuffed out this week with Claudio Ranieri’s out of form Foxes 6/1 to surprise Sevilla with a first leg win on Wednesday and 17/5 to come away with a draw.

But with Leicester unable to score in eight of their last 12 games the bet could be for Sevilla, who haven’t conceded in their last three games, to win to nil at 6/5 with 188BET.

Manchester City, who are 10/1 to go all the way, should be the one team that does fly the flag for English clubs beyond the last 16.

They are favourites to get past Monaco and make the quater-finals and just 3/5 to beat them in tomorrow night’s first leg at home.

Although Monaco, out at 4/1, are expected to come away with little in this one Pep Guardiola’s team haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last five European matches and are 11/5 with 188BET to win with both teams scoring in this one.

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